Notes / Commercial Description:
A porter with hints of chocolate & coffee balanced by subtle smokiness
First Release: December 1996

When first released, our smoky version of a traditional English porter was ahead of its time. Today, it's a highly regarded staple among craft beer fans and our go-to food complement, pairing effortlessly with all kinds of cuisine, from peanut butter and banana sandwiches to braised pork belly and apple pie. This worldly libation is dark, smooth and complex, with chocolate and coffee flavors suffused with subtle smokiness from the addition of peat-smoked malt.

Bomber picked up from the LCBO; bottled Oct 1 2015 and served at cellar temperature.

Pours a deep-hued, translucent chestnut-brown colour with crimson highlights. A full two fingers of light beige-tinged head is situated atop, remaining in place for the long haul. It takes more than 10 minutes to seep away, leaving behind a creamier, more manageable-sized cap and gobs of lovely lacing. Subtly smoky/peaty aroma, with notes of nutty, lightly toasted malts and milk chocolate. Perhaps a few suggestions of molasses, licorice and earthy, herbal hops.

The flavour profile pretty much follows the nose; minimal sweetness, save perhaps a touch of burnt sugar, with the roasted malt elements played up. Peat smoke is a persistent, subtle presence that permeates the whole sip. Chocolate, toasted hazelnut and hints of dark fruit become noticeable by mid-sip, with some earthy, resiny hop astringency rising in intensity as you near the finish. Bittersweet aftertaste with baker's chocolate, lingering roastiness and some woodsmoke flavour. Low carbonation levels, with light-medium body and a soft, smooth, generally satisfying feel in the mouth.

Final Grade: 3.91, a B+. Stone's Smoked Porter is worth a shot, but don't expect miracles. The smoked malt is not overdone, making it potentially good as an introduction to this sort of brew. I'm enjoying it, but not to the extent that I would consider this a memorable beer, or a 'must-try' or anything like that. It's pretty good, and I'd certainly give it a shot if I spotted it on tap somewhere, but it's not something I expect to return to frequently.

Dark brown pour with a fine tan head. Smells like dark cherries, roasted grains, a bit of whiskey, peat, smoke. The taste is bitter, with notes of peat, smoke, dark cherries and dark chocolate. Silky smooth texture with medium body and a bitter and smoky aftertaste.
LE: when the beer gets warmer, one can identify other notes: funky sour notes in the nose, together with caramel, and the taste also contains notes of caramel and a bit of vanilla. Pretty complex beer.

Nose has a light bit of smoke atop a basic porter nose of toasted bread and some roasted malt notes.

Taste leans more porter for me, but a nice porter. The smoke is quite light and acts more like an accent initially. Typically pronounced bitterness, earthy to grassy back up the porter base. With a little warmthand looking for it, I get more smoke, but not much more than I get from some strong stout roasted malts. As the beer starts to get to the edge of being too warm for the porter, the smoke comes out a little more.

Medium body, but with a little friction on the tongue as I sip it.

A solid porter as a base makes it hard to rate this beer low. I wish the smoke took on a bit more of the flavor profile. The smoke was noticeable, but not flavorful, to me, almost like the beer was brewed next to a fire instead of as a part of it.

T - Roasted/burnt malts, coffee, a very woody aftertaste that's probably the "smoked" aspect. Not getting any fruit or maltiness to balance out the strong bitter bite this has throughout.

F - Smooth and creamy, very soft carbonation. The intense flavor notes clash with the smoothness.

O - For my third-ever porter, I probably shouldn't have thought of "smoked" as universally appealing as "smoked ham" or "smoked almonds." "Smoked" beer is a bit too strong, woody, almost like drinking the contents of a chimney. But, my first IPA was a "bitter" experience and I'm guessing I'll need to acquire this taste, let it sit longer at room temperature, or stick to stouts.

Clear mahogany body with surprisingly light head, a thin veneer and ring last. Nose contains sweet-tangy smoked notes, but only mentioned first because I'm looking for it. The rest is roasty malt, chocolate. Flavor is mostly the porter notes: chocolate, roast, faint caramel, dark fruit even, with an afterthought of the smoke. Hops are significant for most of it, providing moderate bitterness (high for the style), and the finish also contains unexpected chalky yeast. Very dry throughout. Medium body, slick, with forceful but not overpowering carbonation.
Meh. The porter part was good, minus the strong bitterness, but I'm especially embittered by the lack of smoke. Glad to check this one off and not worry about missing a potential hidden gem every time I pass it over.

Poured from a 0.5 L bottle into a Duvel Tulip. Bottled on date is 10/19/2015.

Look -- One finger of medium-tight light tan head. It has decent head retention, it doesn't impress and it doesn't disappoint. Nice lacing with a deep dark ruby color at the edges of the glass.

Smell -- Chocolate and sweetness, some herbal hoppiness beneath it all mingled with teasing scents of smoke. The scent of smoke is fairly light.

Taste -- Bracing bitterness that gives way to chocolate and sweetness and then reappears to linger. Light smokiness worms it's way throughout the taste. The smoke and chocolate aspects make me think of munching on chocolate around a campfire between rounds of making smores.

Feel -- Nice carbonation and medium body on the palate. Definitely reads as a porter to me. Finishes somewhat dry but it isn't cutting and it simply encourages you to go back in for another sip.

Overall -- Initially I was disappointed that the smoke wasn't aggressive but as I got into the beer I appreciated just how well balanced the smoke element is. My only possible complaint with the smoke is I wish it was a little more present on the nose but that may be a failing of my own sniffer and it may not be possible to make it more aggressive on the nose without ruining the balance on the tongue.